Buckle



June 9,1925; 1,541,503

E. N. HUMPHREY 'BUCKLE Filed July 2, 1924 1111111". ,l www INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 9, 19725.

UNiTE STATES ERNEST N. HUMPHEEY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

BUCKLE.

Application fried July 2,

To f/ZZ NJN/fm. 'it may concern: y

Be it known that I, EnNnsT N. HUMPHREY. a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New Britain, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Buckle, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a belt buckle.

It. is the principal object of the invention to provide a buckle which, while providing for firmly gripping the belt, is simple in construction and may be manufactured at small cost. f' p It is aV further object to provide a buckle with an extended gripping surface for the free end of the belt.

It is a furtherlobject to provide a buckle having means for reinforcing or supporting the gripping portion of the gripping plate.

In the drawings which show, for illustrative purposes only, a preferred form of the invention- Fig. 1 is a rear view of a buckle assembled with a belt and illustrating rfeatures of my invention; y y

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the buckle shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is view similar to Fig. 2 illus# trating a slightly modified form.

Fig. 4 is sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

In the preferred form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, 5 indicates the front plate of a buckle, having rearwardly extending flanges or ears 6 6 for forming a belt passage and serving as a mounting for a lever plate 7. The ears 6-6 are apertured to receive the pivot lugs 8-8 extending from the lever plate 7. The forward end 9 of the lever plate 7 is bent upwardly and indicated, foi` a purpose to be later described. The rear end of the lever plate may be provided with angularly extending lianges or ears, such as 10.

A belt holding and gripping lever 11 is pivotally mounted at 12in the ears, such 10, and the angularly bent end of the lever 11 adjacent the pivot mounting may be provided with teeth 13-13, for holding the fixed end 14 of a belt. The forward end 15 of the belt gripping plate is adapted to rest upon the angularly extending front end 9 of the lever plate 7, so as to give adequate support to such free end 15. Thev contour. of the belt gripping portion 15 preferably corresponds to vthat of the front plate 5, while the edge of the,` supporting 1924. Serial No. 723,664.

flange 9 is preferably straight and normally engages the outer edges only of the gripping portion 15. This construction permits a slight flexing of the end 15 and provides for a resilient engagement with the free end of a belt as shown particularly in Fig. 4. lf desired, the free end of the gripping plate 11 may have an extended bearing surface for engagement with the free end of the belt, and, if desired, may be Vprovided with serrations or spaced gripping points 16-16 in order to securely gripa belt. y I

It will be seen that, in use, the lever plate 7 .is moved downwardly as viewed iu Fig. 2, and the gripping plate 11 is opened out so as to permit the introduction of the fixed end 14 of the belt, after which the plate 11 is moved back to the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to securely hold the fixed end of the belt. The forward or free end of the belt may then be passed in between the `front plate 5 and the gripping portion 15 of the gripping plate, after which the lever plate 7 is moved into the belt gripping position shown in full lines in 2, 1n?

which position the free end of the beltwili be tightly gripped between the front plate 5 and the gripping portion 15 on the gripping plate.

The extended bearing surface on the free end of the grippingplate 11 serves to securely hold the belt in position, withoutunduly compressing or cutting any pailt thereof, lso that, `a belty ywill be likely to wear longer than with the ordinary type of gripping lever, which grips the belt over only a very small area. The parts are all relatively cheap to manufacture, and the entire device may be readily and quickly assembled. l

In the form shown in Fig. 3, the lever plate 7 is pivotally mounted on ears such as 6 extending rearwardly from the front plate 5. The forward end 9 of the lever plate is angularly bent upwardly to form a belt gripping member. A belt gripping plate 11 is pivotally mounted on ears such as 10 extending from the lever plate 7. rlhe rear end of the plate 11 may be toothed to securely hold the fixed end of a belt while the free end 17 is bent up angularlyV to form a second belt gripping member. The intermediate portion of the plate 11 rests upon and is supported in proper position by the fixed end of the belt. When the parts are in operative position as Shown in Fig. 3 the tivo spaced apart belt gripping parts 9 and 17 serve to securely hold the free end oi" a belt in adjusted position.

While I have shown preferred forms of the invention, l do not Wish to be strietlj' limited to the exact form shown, since slighi changes may be made Within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. ln a buckle, a front plate havinggrearwardljjl 'extending flanges. a lever plate pivotally mounted in said rearwardly eX- tending flanges and a belt gripping and holding plate pivotally mounted at the free end of said lever plate, said belt 'holding' and gripping` plate :Serving to held the fixed end of a belt adjacent the pivotal mounting, the opposite end of said belt holdingand gripping plate serving' to Contact with said lever plate and havingv an extended bearing Surface for engagement withVV the free end of a belt for holding'- the same in adjusted position.

2. In a buckle, a front plate having rearivardljT extendin flanges, a lever plate pivotally mounted on said rearwardly eX- tending flanges, ,said lever plate beingy angularly bent to form a lip extending upwardly therefrom, and a belt gripping plate pivotalljfv mounted at the rear end of said lever plate and serving` to hold the fixed end of a belt, the forward end of said gripping plate having an extended bearing surface for en- ;Ygae'ement with the free end of a belt for holding the latter in adjusted position, said angularly bent portionron said lever plate serving to engage beneath the gripping portion of said gripping plate for supj'iorting the same.

In a buckle, a front plate having rearlwardlj,v extending flanges thereon, a lever plate pivotally mounted on said flanges, an upwardly extendingY portion on Said lever plate adjaeentthe pivotal mounting` thereof, said lever plate having); ears thereon, and a belt grippingr plate pivote-Uy mounted on the ears of said lever plate and' seiw'ingto hold the fixed end ol" a belt thereon, one end of said gripping plate having an extended bearing` surface for engagement with the free end of' a belt for holding' the same in adjusted position, the upwardly extending portion on said lever plate Serving to engage beneath and support the gripping portion of .said gripping plate.

l. ln a buoiile, a front plate, a lever plate pivotally mounted thereon, and a belt ,ejripping plate pivotally mounted on said lever plate and serving to hold the fixed end of a belt thereon, said lever plate contacting with the 'free end ofsaid belt gripping` plate for supporting the latter, said belt gripping plate at a point adjacent the point of Vcontact with said lever plate serving to hold a belt in adjusted position.

ERNEST N. HUMPHREY. 

